Controlling device for closure-operating mechanisms and the like



Oct. 27,1925. 1,558,469 w. B. GERVAIS .CON'TROLLING DEVICE FOR CLOSURE OPERATING MECHANISMS AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 12. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 um umnnuumwfi HIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIH Ii Hill I IHIHIIHIMW M95565; efnvernf. [llama/rigid B. Qarvaza 4r Mt,-

M /Mm 8! m4 Oct- 7, 1925- w. B. GERVAIS CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR CLOSURE OPERATING MEoBfiNIsMs AND THE LIKE Filed 001:. 12, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gi if asfiaa' f Wm am .wwfi 6 m w u r 5 Plu T Patented Oct. 27, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,558,469 PATENT OFFICE.

WAINWRIGHT B. GERVAIS, 0F GIIICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO VARIETY FIRE DOOR COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR CLOSURE-OPERATING MECHANISMS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed October 12, 1923.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it .known that I, VAINWRIGHT B. GERvAIs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Controlling Devices for Closure-Operating Mecha nisms and the like, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an improved controlling device for closure operating mechanisms and the like, and though capable of a wide and varied range of other uses, is particularly adapted for use in connection with the closures disclosed inmy co-pending application, Serial No. 657 ,149 filed August 18, 1923. I

In the above application I provide a closure comprising a pair of sections, one of which in opening reaches its open position in advance of the other. In the closure shown in the above application the closure sections are disposed one above the other and the upper section is formed to fold and the lower section to fold and move vertically in opening. These aspects of the closure may vary widely in so far as the present invention is concerned.

One object of the present invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and positive acting device for disconnecting the closure section reaching open position first from the opening means to permit completion of the opening movement of the other section independently of the first section. While the sections of the closure may be arranged one over the other with the upper section arranged to fold first with an accompanying movement of the lower section toward closed position without folding followed by folding of the lower section after the upper section has folded into open position, these aspects of the closure and the order of folding where the sections do fold, may be varied and modified.

Another object is the provision of a device which upon closing the door will be returned to normal position in a simple, positive manner without complicating the operating mechanism or requiring additional mechanism for resetting the controlling device.

Other objects and advantages of the inven- Serial No. 668,062.

view of the closure operatingmechanism and controlling device;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line 4-4 of Figure 3; and

Fig. 5 is a detail horizontal section on line 55 of Figure 2. a

The closure shown comprises upper and lower door sections 55 and 6--6 applied to wall 8 and adapted when closed to lie superposed in the same plane to com letely cover doorway or opening 10. Ad jacent edges of upper sections 55 are hingedly connected by straps 12. Adjacent edges of lower sections 66 are similarly connected by straps 1 1. The upper of the lower door sections is hingedly connected to the lower of the upper door sections by straps 15. Angles along the opposite vertical edges of the closure have flanges 16 which overlap the edges of the two lower door sections. These flanges terminate short of the upper edge of the upper of the two lower sections 6--6 and prevent breaking or folding of said sections until the upper sections are folded and the lower sections are moved upwardly sufliciently to clear the upper ends ofrsaid flanges. As the lower sections are moved upwardly sufficiently to clear flanges 16, in folding the upper sections into open position as shown in dotted lines, further actuation of the operating mechanism folds the lower sections without further actuation of the upper sections.

The operating mechanism is mounted in an open frame 18 mounted on wall 8 above and to one side of doorway 1O. It includes two pairs of pulleys 202O and 21-21. Pulleys 20 are driven together as by keying same at 23 with a spur gear 24 onsle'eve 25. Sleeve 25 is rotatably mounted on one end of a shaft 26 journaled at its opposite ends in frame 18. Pulleys 21 are similarly driven together and independently of pulleys 20 as by keying them at 27 with a gear 29 on a sleeve 28 rotatable on the opposite end of shaft 26. The sheaves and gears may be locked together and run directly upon the shaft if desired.

A cable or other suitable flexible element 30 secured to the lower of the two lower door sections at a point adjacent the bottom of one end of said section extends up and around one of the pulleys 2121 and down and is secured with a cable or similar flexible element 31 to a counter-weight 32. Cable 31 extends horizontally over a suitable sheave and down and is secured to the bottom of the opposite end of the lower of the two lower door sections. Counter-weight 32 counter-balances the weight of the two lower door sections so that said sections will be retained in any vertical or folded position in which released. Acab'le 35 secured at 36 to the lower of the two upper .door sections extends up and around one of pulleys 20 .and down and is connected at its opposite end with a cable 37 to a counter-weight 38. Cable 37 extends horizontally over a sheave and down and is secured to the opposite end of the lower of the two upper door sections. Counter-weight 38 counter-balances the weight of the two upper door sections so that said sections will be retained in any folded position in which released. Counter-weights 32 and 38 travel and are guided in a guide channel 40 extending vertically along one side of the doorway.

A shaft rotatably journaled in frame 18 has a hand chain sheave or wheel 46 fixed on its outer end and within frame 18 a pinion 46 fixed on shaft 45 for rotation therewith meshes with spur gear 29. Splined at 48 for longitudinal movement along shaft 45 is a clutch member 49. A clutch member 50 loose on shaft 45 has a pinion 51 fixed thereon, which pinion meshes with gear 24. A hand chain 52 (Fig. 2) trained over sheave 46 and down between idlers 5555 may hang loosely ,to a point conveniently accessible from the bottom of the door or it may be trained over a second sheave at that point if desired. The peripheral groove in sheave 46 may be formed irregular for proper driv- 111g engagement with hand chain 52. A coiled spring 58 interposed between pinion 47 and clutch member 49 normally maintains said clutch member 49 in driving engagement with clutch member 50.

For automatically disconnecting pulleys 20 from shaft 45 when upper door sections 5-5 reach their folded or open position, a clutch shifting arm or lever 60 is provided. Arm 60 is forked at its upper end at 61 and provided with prongs 62 engaging in an annular groove 63 in clutch member 49 to shift said clutch member 49 into and Out of clutchshown in Fig. 1.

ing engagement with clutch member 50 upon swinging of arm 60 about its pivot 65. lVhen clutch member 49 is engaged with clutch member 50 rotation of shaft 45 by the hand chain extending into position ac- 67 in frame 18, is pivoted at and its low er projecting end is offset at 68 into the vertical path of movement of'one of the guide rollers 7 O at the bottom of the lower of the upper door sections. The lower end of arm 60 is preferably turned out at 71 to insure proper riding over roller 70 as said roller moves up beneath arm 60 and to prevent interference with the proper movement of the door sections.

Assuming the upper and lower door sections are in closed position and it is desired to open same, hand chain 52 is grasped and drawn downwardly to rotate sheave 71 in a direction to rotate sheaves '20 and 21 so that the door ends of cables 30'31;and 3537 are drawn upwardly with an accompanying downward movement of counter-weights 32 and 38. Clutch members 49 and 50 being in driving engagement both pinions 47 and 51 are rotated with a resulting rotation of both pairs of pulleys 20 and 21. Simultaneous drawing up of the door ends of cable 3031 and 3537 causes opening movement of the lower and upper door sections together. The upper edges of the upper section of the upper door being hingedly hung at 80, sections 55 immediately break at the hinge connections 12 and fold outwardly toward the dotted line position Simultaneously with the folding of the upper door sections, lower sections 66 are moved upwardly without folding, through their connection with the lower section of the upper door and through cables 30 and 31.

As the hinge connection between the lower sections clears the up er ends of flanges 16, the lower sections fo d outwardly until the entire doorway or opening 10 is uncovered. The folding movement of the lower sections of the door may be started by suitable cams in their path of movement. As upper sections 5-5 reach their folded or open position roller 70 rides under the lower end of arm 60 swinging said arm in a clockwise direction about pivot 65 (Figs. 1 and 3). This movement of arm 60 throws clutch 49 out of engagementwith clutch 50 so that as shaft 45 continues to be rotated by hand chain 52 pinion 47 only, is turned with a resulting turning of sheaves 30 and 31 without turning sheaves 35 and 37. This permits completing the opening movement of lower sectious 6-6 without further actuation of upper sections 5-5. As the door is closed and roller 70 moves down from under arm 60 spring 58 returns arm 60 to its normal position and clutch member l9 into engagement with clutch member 50.

The invention is not limited to the details of the particular embodiment selected for illustration.

I claim:

1. In combination, a wall having an opening, a closure for said opening, said closure comprising upper and lower folding sections, an operating device including a frame mounted above the opening, a shaft journaled in said frame, a pair of pulleys and a gear locked together on said shaft, a second pair of pulleys and second gear locked together on said shaft, a pair of counterweights, a pair of flexible elements connected to the upper closure and to one of said counter-weights and trained over one pair of pulleys, a second pair of flexible elements connected to the lower closure and to the other counter-weight and trained over the other pair of pulleys, a second shaft journaled in said frame, means accessible from the bottom of the closure for turning said second shaft, a pinion fixed on said second shaft and'meshing with the lower door gear, a second pinion loose on said shaft and meshing with the upper door gear, means normally clutching said second pinion to the shaft for rotation with said first pinion, a pivoted arm and a roller on the upper closure engaging said arm to disconnect said clutch means as the upper closure approaches open position.

2. In combination, a wall having an opening, a closure'for said opening, said closure including upper and lower sections, an operating device including a shaft, a pulley and gear locked together on said shaft, :1 second pulley and gear locked together on said shaft, a flexible element connected to the upper closure section and trained over one pulley, a flexible element connected to the lower closure section and trained over the other pulley, pinions meshing with said upper and lower closure section gears, driving means for said pinions, means connecting said pinions for rotation together, means for disconnecting said pinions to permit independent rotation of one, said means in cluding a roller on one closure section and an arm extending into the path of movement of said roller for actuation thereby.

3. In combination, a closure, operating mechanism therefor, said mechanismincluth ing a clutch,a roller on the closure, a clutch shifting arm extending into the path of movement of the roller to be actuated thereby, in opening the closure and a coiled spring normally engaging the clutch and returning said arm to normal position upon closing the closure.

4. In combination, a closure, a pair of operating devices therefor, a clutch between said operating devices, an arm for disengaging said clutch to disconnect said operating devices, said arm extending into the path of movement of means on the closure tobe actuated thereby to disengage the clutch in operating the closure.

5. In combination, a closure, a pair of operating devices therefor, a clutch between said operating devices, an arm for disengaging said clutch to disconnect said operating devices, a roller on the closure, said arm extending into the path of movement of the roller to be actuated thereby and means for normally engaging said clutch and returning said arm to normal position.

6. In combination, a pair of closure sections, a roller on one of said closure sections, means cooperating with said roller for moving said closure sections into open position independently of each other, said means comprising a clutch shifting arm extending into the path of movement of said roller so as to be actuated thereby, and a coiled spring which engages the clutch for returning said arm into normal position.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 8th day of October, 1923.

VVAINWRIGHT B. GERVAIS. 

